by Cheree Alsop
Chapter Thirteen
Zyla didn’t know whose bullet hit the oracle’s gun first. Uncle Demetri threw her an approving look before he was lost in the surging crowd. Constables, Revolters, citizens, Solariats, and even shopkeepers and barterers tussled on the deck of the Gathering ship. The sight of an oracle using a weapon to kill the man who was supposed to bring them peace didn’t sit well with the Volters. The threat an uprising would bring to their wares stirred up the shopkeepers, and the enforcers were hard put to control the warring Solariats, branded, and citizens.
Flashes of purple were seen between blades while smoke from the few guns tinged the air with scent of gunpowder. The man who had tried to kill Orion held his bleeding hand while glaring from the massive ship tied to the dock with golden ropes. Zyla’s eyes widened at the sight of the name ‘Orion’ painted in gilded lettering along the hull.
The realization that King Tolier was inside made her throw all caution to the wind. Zyla ran through the fray to the red and gold plank the oracle had stood upon. She set a foot on it. All of her thoughts were focused on one single truth. Vengeance for her father was finally within her reach. She could kill King Tolier and end the torment that fell on her people. Revenge was at her fingertips.
But before she could take another step, a form hit her from the side hard enough to send them both sprawling.
“Get off me,” Zyla yelled.
She struggled until the form above her blocked out the bright sunlight long enough for her to recognize Orion. His face was pale and his chest heaved as he stared down on her.
“Orion, what are you doing?” she demanded.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Do you know who’s on that ship?”
“Yes!” she practically shouted. She struggled against his grip, but he wouldn’t let her go. “King Tolier’s on that ship. He killed my father.” Her last words came through gritted teeth. “He deserves to die.”
“Yes, he does,” Orion replied.
The emotions in his eyes made her struggling slow.
His gaze was desperate. He looked behind him and then met her eyes again with an expression of pain and fear so stark it made Zyla’s heart ache. “Altair is the oracle. He’s the one who had me killed.”
Zyla stared up at him. The chaos of the battle waging around them vanished as though they sat in a space separate from the war. “He’s the one?” she repeated, trying to wrap her mind around the thought. “How is that possible?”
Orion shook his head. “I don’t know. Evil is here. I can feel it.”
Zyla nodded. She could feel it to.
Orion let go of her wrists and held out his hand. “You’re in danger here. Come with me.”
Zyla let him pull her to her feet. Something in his expression bade her to follow him without question. She glanced back once at the high, gilded sides of the ship they fled. The oracle stood on the deck staring after them. The hatred in his eyes was unmistakable. Oracles weren’t supposed to be violent, but this one had threatened to kill Orion and finish what he started.
The thought stopped Zyla in her tracks.
Her sudden halt threw Orion off balance. His hand slipped from hers and he looked back.
“What is it?” he asked.
“He wants to kill you,” Zyla replied.
The barest hint of humor touched Orion’s lips before he said, “Yes, he does.”
“And you’re Orion,” she said.
Orion watched her closely. “Yes.”
She stared up at him with wide eyes. “Orion, what do you know of the myths behind the stars?”
A man with a scimitar ran past them followed closely by three others with knives.
“I don’t think now is the time,” Orion began.
Zyla grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the path of a flying pot. It slammed into the closest makeshift wall and crashed to the ground.
“You’re not just Orion,” she said. “You’re the Orion.”
He looked at her like she was crazy. “That’s my name.”
She grabbed his hand. “Come on.”
With a speed that put their previous flight to shame, Zyla wound her way through battling patrons and led Orion back to the Circinus.
“Is there a fight?” Tower asked when they reached the deck. “The Cap’n told me to stay on guard, but I don’t want to miss a fight.”
“There’s a fight,” Orion replied as he ran past on Zyla’s heels.
“Oh good!” Tower said. He pulled the sword from his belt and hurried toward the plank.
“But stay on guard,” Zyla called before she burst through the door that led to the captain’s quarters.
Tower’s eager smile fell. “Aye aye, Ms. Dawes,” he said, sheathing his sword.
The sadness in his voice followed them down.
“That was cruel,” Orion commented. Thoughts of Altair on the royal ship aiding the King bombarded his thoughts. Only the attempt at humor kept him from tumbling into the darkness of the implications.
“Nobody’s going to win this fight,” Zyla replied without slowing. She threw open the door to her uncle’s rooms and tore into the books that had been neatly lined on the shelves. “It’s a Solariat Gathering. They’ll all be jailed and sold if we don’t break it up.”
“So what are we doing here?” Orion asked. He eyed the books that she tossed onto the couch and tables. “It doesn’t seem like the time for reading.”
The carefully controlled anger that simmered beneath his candid tone let Zyla know just how close he was to heading back to the fight himself. She couldn’t blame him. The thought of King Tolier within shooting distance was nearly enough to send her back out at his side. Only the urgency of her thoughts kept her focused on her uncle’s books. He had to know what he faced. If she was right, too many lives depended on it.
“Found it,” she said.
She yanked the leather-bound book from the shelf with relief. Little gold studs marked the black cover with the careful spacing of Ursa Major. Flipping through the book, she quickly found the pages she was looking for. She handed the open book to Orion. Her heart fluttered with anxiety as she watched him scan the page.
“Orion Mythos,” he read aloud. His brow furrowed and he slid off his goggles to better see the words. “Orion was a skilled hunter of both the land and sea. His bloodline as the son of Poseidon granted him the ability to breathe under water and control the beasts of the deep. He protected his people with the help of the mighty hound, Sirius.” His eyes ran down the page. “His love of adventure was seconded only by his love of his family, which became Orion’s downfall.” He blinked, his eyes shuttered for the briefest second before he continued, “His sisters fell in love with Hades, who had disguised himself as the human Altair. Obsessively in love and ensnared in Hades’ promises, Persephone set a trap for her sister Despoine. Orion found out and sprung the trap himself to save Despoine’s life. He was slain by nine arrows, including one from Persephone.”
Orion swallowed and his voice was tighter as he read, “When his father Poseidon found his son’s broken body in the sea the next morning and learned of Orion’s bravery in saving his sister, he used the nine arrows to make nine stars and sent Orion’s spirit to the heavens to watch over mankind. He then cursed Persephone to spend eternity confining Hades to the Underworld as the keeper of the dead where he belonged.”
Orion’s voice fell away and the book slipped from his fingers. The sound of the battle above reached them in muted waves.
“Orion…,” Zyla began.
He shook his head, but didn’t look at her. “It can’t be.”
She set a hand on his arm. “I didn’t show you that to hurt you.”
Orion looked at her. His blue eyes barely glowed. The depth of them was filled with such agony she couldn’t hold his gaze for long. “It’s all true. I’m a dead myth in a book. I’m nothing.”
“No,” Zyla replied. “You’re everything. Don’t you see?”
Orion’s gaze sh
ifted to the wall behind her. It was easy to read the shock on his face. She knew she had to pull him back or she would lose him.
“Orion, did you read what I gave you?”
He blinked at her severe tone. “I did,” he said. “You heard me.”
She picked up the book. “Are you sure? Because you’re not reacting the way I thought you would.”
Orion stared at her. “I’m nothing but stars, Zyla.”
She gestured toward the sound of fighting. “And it was Hades who did that to you. They called that oracle Altair. He’s the one who tricked your sister into murdering you, isn’t he?”
Orion nodded numbly.
“He turned your world into chaos and then took your life.” She held out the book. “Now he’s about to do the same thing with my world.” She swallowed, then said, “With our world. You heard what he said about circular fates. He’s controlling the King and watching the world burn. If my dream is right and the Empress is involved, there’s nothing standing in the way of Hades doing to this world what he wanted to do to yours before your father banished him. This is your chance to stop him.” She held his gaze, her own fervent. “That’s why you’re here.”
Her words sparked something inside of Orion. He looked from the book in her hand toward the sound of the battle outside.
“I failed to stop him once. My father had to pick up the pieces,” he said, his voice gruff. His hands clenched into fists. “I won’t fail again.”
Zyla could barely keep up with Orion as he stormed up the hallway, across the gangplank, and into the fray of the battle aboard the Vienna. She watched as spears flew past him, bullets sped into masts and walls, and a sword missed loping off his head by inches, but he used his knife to block it and kept moving. There was something deadly in his determined stride and she ran to catch up to him before he could do something foolhardy.
He stopped when he reached the center of the square before the ship Orion. A ring of soldiers from the King’s Airborne Defense stood facing the battle. The brawlers avoided the space between the King’s soldiers and the great ship. By the look of commotion aboard, they were preparing to cast off. Whatever Orion did, he had to act quickly.
The fighting was the most concentrated in the center of the square Orion pushed to reach. Though several Revolters slowed upon seeing him, the struggling didn’t cease. One big form broke from the crowd.
“Torque, we need to stop this!” Orion called out.
Torque nodded. His sword cut a swath through the riot and he led the way for Orion to follow. Orion climbed to the top of a crate and pulled something from his pocket.
Zyla’s heart slowed when she recognized one of Jack’s light grenades. Orion said something to Torque that she was too far away to hear. The big man shielded his eyes with an arm. Determination showed on Orion’s face as he removed the pin. Zyla covered her eyes when he threw the grenade to the ground.
A brilliant explosion followed. It wasn’t deadly, but the blinding light and staggering percussion halted the fighting as quickly as if ice water had been poured on the battling crowd.
“Citizens of the air, listen to me,” Orion said.
His voice rang out over the crowd with a surety in his tone that Zyla had never heard before. She opened her eyes to see him standing like the prince she realized he had been. Those closest to the crate cringed back and covered their eyes in fear that he would cause another explosion, while those further away peered in his direction. Any thought of fighting seemed to have fled. While she could still hear it beyond the square, those closest were paying attention.
“You are slaves to an unjust master,” Orion said. He glared up at the ship behind him. “You have turned your lives over to the hands of a man who treats you like stock and pits you against each other.” Orion glanced at Zyla. “Even now, he is conspiring with Empress Evangeline behind your backs.”
Surprise showed on every face Zyla could see. Neither of them knew if her dream was true, but the thought was enough to drain the fight from the brawlers.
“Do you really want to let King Tolier use you to burn your world to the ground?” Orion asked.
Fighting beyond the square slowed. Zyla heard the footsteps of those coming forward to hear what was going on. She realized she was holding her breath and let it out slowly. The tension that filled her at their precarious situation made nervous tingles run along her skin.
“He doesn’t care about you,” Orion continued. “He created the crown and refused to give up his position because he is greedy with power, the same power he uses to lord over you and control your lives. But you owe him nothing!”
A few shouts followed this proclamation.
“Revolter, Solariat, Lunarian, citizen, enforcer,” Orion glanced behind himself, “Airborne Defense,” he said and several of them lowered their gazes to the deck of the ship. “It shouldn’t matter who you are. We all want to live, and King Tolier’s agenda isn’t in your best interest.” He looked around. “Make the best decision for your families, for your children. Choose to give them a life of freedom.”
“But we can’t protect ourselves,” a mother cowering in the corner with two children said.
Orion met the woman’s gaze. “Then let me protect you.”
“How?” someone else demanded.
Orion pulled off his goggles. Zyla knew the pain the sunlight caused him, but he didn’t shield his face from the light. Instead, the blue of his eyes multiplied until it was so bright she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Gasps and cries of astonishment sounded from those watching.
“Let me fulfill the prophecy and bring the Orion down like the oracle promised,” he said. “Get me on that ship and let me face the King. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
A thrum of excitement lanced through Zyla. She heard the voices that ran over the crowd. They started as a murmur, then grew louder until they became a roar.
“Get him on that ship!” Captain Dawes yelled.
“Take out the guards,” a woman shouted.
“Out of our way!” a man with two swords growled as he led the armed crowd forward.
The Airborne Defense backed up in the face of the onslaught. Several even laid down their weapons while the others knotted together to protect each other, but the crowd was too late. The crew of the Orion had cut her free and her orbs hummed to life. The space between the dock and the ship increased. There was no way to board the ship from where they stood.
“Don’t let it get away,” Torque said.
“Look, Skirmishers!” a boy near the dock shouted.
Everyone looked up to see small ships launching from the deck of the royal vessel. Small orbs powered the gears that flew the ships. Each had several armed soldiers and a pilot Zyla knew were ready to die for the King. The group of a dozen ships turned as one and flew toward the Vienna. A sound like angry hornets pierced the air, then bullets tore into the deck around them.
“Run!” Captain Dawes shouted.
Orion leaped from the crates and grabbed Zyla’s hand. She followed him through the chaos toward the marketplace. The crowd dove for cover around them as Solariats, citizens, and enforcers alike were killed. Several of the Airborne Defense who had staked their lives against the crowd to protect their king were slain. The sounds of pained cries and shouts of defiance filled the air.
Zyla found herself beneath a table that smelled of smoked pig. Her eyes met those of a fair-haired woman across the square who was hiding beneath a similar table. The man next to her clutched his shoulder as blood streamed between his fingers.
“How do we get on that ship?”
Zyla turned to find Orion watching her. His goggles were back on and his chest heaved from the exertion of their run, but his gaze behind the shaded lenses was calming. She pushed the shocked panic that filled her to the back of her mind and focused on what her father had taught her about ship warfare.
“They have the advantage of the air. We’ll never get above them.” She
thought quickly. “We need to choose our battleground, but they have us cornered.” She ducked when more bullets rained down. By the sound of it, more Skirmishers had been sent out from the King’s ship.
“Then let’s choose our battleground,” Orion replied. “Land the ships.”
She stared at him. “On the water?”
He nodded. “They were meant for the sea. I remember.”
There was a haunted edge to his tone and she saw it there on his face. Reading the book had brought back the memories that had eluded him. She didn’t know whether that was good or bad. By the grim set to his jaw, she guessed he wasn’t sure, either.
“Land the ships,” he repeated. “I’ll do the rest.”
The pandemonium made the next several minutes a blur. Everyone aboard the Vienna abandoned the great ship as it was torn to pieces by the relentless Skirmishers. Ships detached from the Gatherer in a whirlwind of activity. Crew members were mixed and the decks of the ships became overcrowded with escaping citizens, branded, enforcers, and even a few of the Airborne Defense who realized safety in a brig was far better than going down with the smoking Vienna.
The ship’s hull gave a massive shudder as the Circinus pulled free. Crew members fired back at the Skirmishers who targeted the Hauler. Zyla gave a grim smile when Barnaby shot one of his handmade sniper rifles with deadly accuracy to send a Skirmisher into the sea below. As she watched, a massive scaled and multi-toothed creature leaped up and swallowed the small ship whole.
“Are you sure about this?” Captain Dawes asked.
Zyla glanced over to find her uncle’s eyes on the beast below before it disappeared back into the great depths.
“I’m sure,” Orion replied from his other side. “Tell them all to land.”
Captain Dawes nodded at Therice. The woman in the crow’s nest lifted a black flag and a red one. She raised them up, then swiped them down repeatedly. The captain pulled out his telescope to see if the other ships would respond.
At their stern, a huge blue Hauler was taking the brunt of the Skirmishers’ bullets.
